Movie Review: THE TOURIST

First released: 2010
Starring: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Based on: the 2005 film, Anthony Zimmer

The gorgeous Elise lives in Paris, where she is constantly watched by police due to her connection to international criminal, Alexander Pearce. One day while having her typical tea and croissant (tea, because she is British), she receives a letter from Alexander with these instructions: board the 8:22 train in the Gare de Lyon and pick someone of his height and build. Make the police believe that someone is Pearce.

Elise picks Frank, a math teacher from Wisconsin. Apparently Frank has never seen North by Northwest, or he'd know talking to beautiful women on trains is a very bad idea. As it is, however, Frank is gobsmacked by the fact that Elise honoring him with her presence. Once the train reaches its destination, though--ah, Venice!--Frank realizes he's in serious danger and Elise starts to question Pearce's willingness to embroil an innocent in his cat-and-mouse games.


Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou...

This movie is FABULOUS. If you like any of the classic romantic suspense films like Charade, North by Northwest, How to Steal a Million, etc., then this is definitely right up your alley. The costumes are gorgeous, the locations are romantic, and there's plenty of mistaken identity, bad guys shooting, and double-crossing to keep the plot moving.

By far the greatest strength of the film though, is the acting. I'm not a huge Angelina Jolie fan, but she really impressed me in this movie. When the story starts out, Elise seems almost cartoonishly unapproachable, but Jolie gives her depth--she's not just eye candy; she's vulnerable and smart. I also loved Johnny Depp as Frank--he's so charming and funny, and I could totally see him as a "cool" math teacher.

As for the setting, to be honest I don't think the filmmakers took much advantage of it. Yes, it's Venice, and it's gorgeous, but 80% of the scenes are indoors. And while those interiors are gorgeous, they could be located in any posh European city. There's no art, no decor, to give one the sense of a specifically Venetian atmosphere. Paris was much better utilized as a setting--but then Paris was also entirely exteriors.

That's really a minor quibble to the whole movie, though, which just great escapism. I definitely recommend it for a mini-staycation!

The Wicked House of Rohan by Anne Stuart

Setting:  Venice, 1740

Stereotypes:  Venice is a den of sin; bored people are interesting; men are wicked but like their women angelic.

Major likes: The setting; it was a fun, quick read.

Major dislike:  The story had a lot of loose ends.



Oh the Rohans.  How are they wicked--let me count the ways.  One, they propose debauchery.  Two, they hang out with people of Questionable Moral Judgement.  Three, they refuse to be shocked by said debauchery (see reason one).  Four, they have the sexs.

Unemployed, friendless, and broke, Kathleen Strong is desperate enough to accept a shady job as governess to a Mr. Marblethorpe's sister in Venice.  But when she arrives at her new job, she discovers there is no governess job, she's actually the only living virgin in Venice over the age of 12 (because it's VENICE), and the gentleman is part of a club that wants to pop her cherry so they can feel like scandalous degenerates instead of utterly useless wastes of space.

BUT!  Enter the mysterious and lethargic Alastair Rohan, the most degenerate of all the degenerates.  The forming of the club and the deflowering of the virgin were both his ideas.  Now that he's laid eyes on Miss Strong, however, he feels possessive and thus would like to lay more than just eyes on her. 

And they fell in love.

This novella was actually fairly entertaining.  Although we never find out what exactly Kathleen did to piss off her former employers, causing them to strand her in a foreign country; or why Rohan's butler is being controlled by Marblethorpe; or what the source of Rohan's cynical ennui is.  We do at least discover that Alastair and Kathleen have a shared past.  The story clips along at a very brisk pace, and before you know it, it's over! 

As for the setting, it doesn't play that much into the story.  Venice is like the 18th-century version of Las Vegas:  what happens there stays there.  It's pretty over-the-top, actually, but then everything in this novella is.

As a promotion for Stuart's new Rohan series, The Wicked House of Rohan does its job: I am now definitely interested in checking out the first book in the series, Reckless.  Although I am bummed it doesn't take place in Venice.


3/6 books read

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Listed: Venice

When I wrote my list of favorite settings, Ann Marie Gamble asked that I come up with a reading list for them.  I thought that was great idea, and decided to start with the first on my list, and my favorite, Venice.  But there are SO many books about Venice out there that doing a comprehensive list is impossible.  So here is a very select list of some books and movies set in Venice that I've either enjoyed, or that are on my TBR shelf.  They're not all set in the 18th century, but they do all capture the spirit of Venice in some way.

The Titian Committee by Iain Pears--Pears writes art history mysteries (which I naturally read), and this one involves a murder related to Titian.  There's also a scene on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, which is famous for its cathedral and the painting by Tintoretto inside.  Unfortunately I haven't managed to see this painting yet, but I have taken pictures of the cathedral from across the lagoon.

Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase--A great romance that involves a courtesan and is set in Venice.  (The link is to an essay on the book I wrote for Romancing the Blog.)

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke--I actually hated this novel.  But one of the parts I did like took place in Venice, where Jonathan Strange lives for quite a while, harassed by Lord Byron and trapped inside the city by a wizard.

The Story of My Life by Giacomo Casanova--Yes, I've read this book.  That's how obsessed I am with Casanova.  It's really not that bad, but I suggest you get the abridged version.  The unabridged version is like 13 volumes and a gazillion pages.

Faces Under Water by Tanith Lee--This one of those books that I've been meaning to read forever.  It doesn't take place in Venice per se, but in an alternate world that very closely resembles Venice, with canals and people who wear masks.

Sargent's Venice by Richard Ormond and Warren Adelson--One of the great things about Venice is the artists who have lived there over the years.  Unlike most painters, John Singer Sargent is famous for creating scenes of everyday life in Venice--not just pretty landscapes.  I love Sargent and I love Venice, so naturally I love this book!

Treasures of Venice by Lucinda McGary--This is a fun escapist novel set in Venice.  It's ridiculous, of course, but as I said in the review, you can't beat the setting.

Casanova--This is one of my favorite movies evar!  It's a romp--a romp, I tell you!!!  And have I mentioned I'm obsessed with Casanova?

Dangerous Beauty--This very romantic movie is based on a true story and all about the famous courtesans of Venice.  Great film.

Lord of the Night by Susan Wiggs--Set in sixteenth-century Venice, this book about a lord who suspects the woman he loves of stealing jewels sounds pretty good.

City of the Falling Angels by John Berendt--One of my coworkers gave this to me after hearing me go on and on about how I wished I had the money to go back to Venice.  It sounds like a really good book, and I'm excited to read it even though it is non-fiction.



These are just the books that are actually on my shelves right now, not the ones on my wish list--which is huge.  I've also been looking at Bianca: A Novel of Venice by Robert Elegant after Lusty Reader recommended it; and The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato.

What books would you recommend that are set in Venice?

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